Adjusting device for a shotgun

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of improving and to an adjusting device for performing adjustment of the butt of a shotgun to a specific shooter in order to improve the accuracy of fire. It has been realized that the adjustment of the butt of a shotgun to fit a shooter is markedly facilitated through the use of an adjusting device according to embodiments and methods of the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an adjusting device to improve accuracy of firefor shotguns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In some countries large effort is put into minimizing the amount ofwounded game. Investigations have shown that in some areas almost onethird of all geese live with pellets in their body as a result ofwounding. In order to lower this shocking number, the recommendedmaximum shooting distance was lowered, which proved to decrease thenumber of wounded geese. However, the problem of wounding continues.Among persons skilled in the art there seems to be consensus that theproblem is mainly due to shooters firing at too large distances andtherefore discussions have been on training shooters even more inabilities to judge distances.

When a shooter buys a shotgun, it is standard procedure that the shootertries the shotgun for a period of time and returns it to the arms dealerto have it adjusted according to estimations the arms dealer make bylooking at the shooter and according to what the shooter has experiencedwhen shooting with the shotgun. Alternatively more expensive shotgunsmay be bought which involve the possibility of adjusting e.g. theposition of the upper part of the shotgun relative to the rest of theshotgun, in which way the shooter may make small adjustments on his ownhands, in case he finds that the shotgun does not hit as precisely asdesired.

Small adjustments made by the arms dealer or the shooter himself thisway help to increase the precision for shotguns and have done so forseveral years.

However, in order to decrease the frequency of wounding of game duringhunting, a very precise adjustment of shotguns is needed, which is verytime-consuming if possible at all through adjustments as describedabove. Thus a need exists for a method and apparatus assisting a shooterin adjusting a shotgun easier and more precisely than seen in prior art.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,038 discloses a shotgun sighting system and method.Some problems related to the teaching of this document are thatsufficient precision cannot be obtained and that it may be difficult tomake the adjustments of the shotgun.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the precision ofshots fired from a shotgun. It is a further object of the invention tofacilitate easier adjustment of the shotgun.

Moreover, and as a result of this, it is a further object of theinvention to decrease the frequency of wounding of game during hunting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention it has been realized that an improvedprecision of shots fired from shotguns may be obtained fast and easilythrough adjustment of the shotgun according to measures done with anadjusting device such as herein described.

The invention relates to a method of improving adjustment of the butt ofa shotgun to a specific shooter in order to improve the accuracy of firecomprising the steps of:

-   -   positioning and fixing the shotgun by fixing means facilitating        that the rib is aligned precisely towards a target spot,    -   firing a shot from the fixed position resulting in a shooting        pattern of pellets around the target spot,    -   marking an aiming spot in the shooting pattern,    -   attaching an adjusting device on the rib of the shotgun, and    -   adjusting the adjusting device until the sight track between the        aiming surfaces of the adjusting device, the front bead and the        aiming spot is aligned in order to adjust the butt of the        shotgun accordingly.

It has been realized that the adjustment of the butt of a shotgun to fita shooter is markedly facilitated through the use of an adjusting deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention, which results in an improvedaccuracy of fire. Through the use of an adjusting device according toembodiments of the invention, the shooter will have a greater conformitybetween the aiming direction and the shooting direction and the shooterwill, if desired, have decided for himself how the pellet pattern of ashot fired from the shotgun will be distributed around the aimingdirection.

In a standard method, if the shooter does not desire otherwise, thepellets from a single shot of an adjusted shotgun will be distributed ina pellet pattern which relative to the aiming direction is distributedtypically with ⅕ of the pellets being below the aiming direction and ⅘of the pellets being above the aiming direction. Thereby an improvedaccuracy of fire is obtained as compared to shooting with a shotgunwhich has only been adjusted according to estimates.

This improvement of individual adjustment of shotguns has proved todecrease the frequency of wounding of game as a direct consequence ofthe improved precision of each shot.

The adjusting of the adjusting device to align the aiming surfaces ispreferably done by sliding it along the rib or by adjusting theheight/lateral position of the adjusting device.

With the present invention care is taken to distinguish between a targetspot and an aiming spot. The target spot is where the rib of the shotgunis pointing whereas the aiming spot is that spot in the shooting patternmarking where the aiming should be towards in order to distribute thepellets satisfyingly around the spot. In the prior art seen, the targetspot and the aiming spot are considered the same, which will notnecessarily be the case and most often at least slight deviations willoccur. On the contrary, the awareness of the difference between thetarget spot and the aiming spot is important to observe the improvedprecision in accordance with the present invention. The deviationbetween the target spot and an average aiming spot may e.g. vary betweendifferent shotgun manufacturers and between different shotguns in a sameseries. With the present invention an increased precision has beenobserved through firing a shot as part of the adjustment processtogether with the further steps as herein described.

In an embodiment of the invention, said method further comprises thestep of

-   -   placing an oblong rigid object along the aiming surfaces of the        front bead and the adjusting device, the oblong rigid object        extending further above the butt of the shotgun to indicate the        desired height of the aiming eye above the butt in order to hit        a target as desired, whereby the vertical distance between the        oblong rigid object and the butt can be measured and compared to        the cheek distance.

The function of the oblong rigid object is described in more detail inthe detailed description.

In an embodiment of the invention, said method further comprises thestep of

-   -   placing a lateral marking means along the aiming surface of the        front bead and extending further directly above the butt of the        shotgun, in order to facilitate easy and more exact measurement        of the lateral distance between the oblong rigid object and the        butt of said shotgun.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lateralmarking means is a string. In an embodiment of the invention, the oblongrigid object comprises string fastening means in one end to facilitatefastening of this string. Preferably the string fastening means ispositioned close to the front bead, when the oblong rigid object is inposition on the shotgun, whereby the stretched string will mark a lineat least essentially going through the aiming surface of the front bead.

In an embodiment of the invention, said method further comprises thestep of

-   -   adjusting the vertical distance to correspond to the cheek        distance by any means capable of raising or lowering at least        the upper part of the butt.

In an embodiment of the invention, said method further comprises thestep of

-   -   adjusting the lateral position of at least the upper part of the        butt on the basis of the measured lateral distance by any means        capable of adjusting said lateral position.

In an embodiment of the invention, said method further comprises thestep of

-   -   the shooter taking the shotgun to his shoulder into his natural        firing position, upon which the cheek distance from the aiming        eye to the upper side of the butt is measured.

A further advantage according to embodiments of the present invention isthat the shooter needs not be present at the time of adjustment of theshotgun, in that his cheek distance is all that is needed. This cheekdistance can be measured independently of the adjustment procedure andmay anyhow result in a very precise adjustment of the butt to theindividual user.

Moreover the invention relates to an adjusting device for adjustment ofthe butt of a shotgun to a specific shooter in order to improve theaccuracy of fire, said adjusting device comprises mounting means formounting said adjusting device on said shotgun,

said adjusting device comprises adjusting means for adjusting the sighttrack between an aiming surface of said adjusting device and a frontbead of said shotgun, characterized in thatsaid adjusting device comprises an oblong rigid object to indicate thesight track during adjustment of the butt to facilitate an easieradjusting process of the butt.

When said adjusting device comprises an oblong rigid object to indicatethe sight track, the adjusting process is made much easier. In this waythe oblong rigid object ensures that the line of sight is at hand allthe time during adjustment of the butt of the shotgun. Hence adjustmente.g. at the arms dealer is facilitated. This should be seen incomparison to prior art, in which no indications of ideal positions arepresent during adjustment of the butt of the shotgun.

In the description the oblong rigid object is referred to as anindividual object; however it may also be designated as part of theadjusting device according to embodiments of the invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, said adjusting device comprisesholding means for holding said oblong rigid object in place in order tofacilitate an easier adjusting process.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the oblong rigid object isby any holding means held in place on the shotgun during adjustment ofthe butt. The holding means may be formed in any conventional manner,such as be provided by a rough surface, adhesive, tape, side walls, anotch etc.

In an embodiment of the invention, said holding means is a notch.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the holding means is anotch in the adjusting device in order to facilitate easyattaching/detaching.

In an embodiment of the invention, said holding means comprises a clamp.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the holding meanscomprises a clamp in the adjusting device in order to facilitate easyattaching/detaching.

In an embodiment of the invention, the oblong rigid object is a stickmade in a rigid material such as plastic, wood or metal.

It is noted that part of the functionality of the oblong rigid objectcould be carried out by a string; however a rigid object is preferred.

In an embodiment of the invention, the oblong rigid object is atelescopic stick in order to be sufficiently prolonged during usewithout losing the stiffness.

In an embodiment of the invention, the oblong rigid object has a lengthof at least the distance from the front bead to the front part of thebutt.

Preferably the length of the oblong rigid object is suitable forindicating the sight track throughout the distance from the front beadto the back of the butt. In an embodiment of the invention said oblongrigid object is at least 50 cm long.

In an embodiment of the invention, one end of the oblong rigid objectcomprises a magnet in order to fix the oblong rigid object to the frontend of the rib.

The end of the oblong rigid object will typically by the aid of a magnetbe fixed behind and abut the front bead in order to indicate the line ofsight.

In an embodiment of the invention, one end of the oblong rigid objectcomprises a string fastening means to facilitate fastening of a lateralmarking means.

A lateral marking means, such as a string, may be used to facilitatemore easy and exact measurement of the lateral distance between theoblong rigid object and the butt of said shotgun, in that the lateralmarking means can be used to mark the lateral position of the butt inthe same plane as the oblong rigid object.

In order to fasten the string in the front bead end of the oblong rigidobject, a string fastening means, such as a spike, a small dowel, ahook, or any other means capable of fastening a string.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device comprises alower element and a changeable element comprising a notch.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention a number of differentelements with varying heights and widths may be used as a changeableelement on top of a lower element of the adjusting device. Hereby thatelement, which suits the required vertical and lateral adjustment thebest, can be mounted on the lower element. This mounting can be done inany conventional way, such as by sliding into a groove in the lowerelement.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device is detachablymounted on the shotgun.

Therefore the adjusting device may be mounted and used for the purposeof adjusting the shotgun and then afterwards be detached again beforeusing the shotgun for shooting. Alternatively the adjusting device maybe mounted and used for the purpose of adjusting the shotgun and then beretained on the shotgun during shooting.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device is removed fromthe shotgun after adjustment.

The aiming surface of the adjusting device will typically be an upwardlypointing surface relative to the normal holding position of a shotgun.In some embodiments of the invention, the aiming surface is an uppersurface of the adjusting device.

With the term shooter as used herein may be understood shooter, hunter,huntsman or the like.

The terms “sight track” and “line of sight” are both used to indicate atrack between points. With the term “sight track” it may however beclearer that an aiming eye does not necessarily need to be a part of thetrack in order for the term to make sense.

In an embodiment of the invention, said mounting means comprises meansfor mounting on a rib of said shotgun.

Preferably the adjusting device is mounted directly on the rib of theshotgun. Almost all shotguns are equipped with a rib, some ribs areparallel to the barrels and some ribs are slightly inclining relative tothe barrels, however common for all is that the rib is manufactured suchthat the adjusting devices according to embodiments of the invention maybe mounted on the rib. The mounting may be carried out in anyconventional way, such as the manufacturing of the adjusting device in asize fitting exactly the rib of the shotgun or maybe manufacturing theadjusting device in a slightly elastic material in order for theadjusting device to grip around the rib or tying a line around thebarrels to hold the adjusting device. Some embodiments of mounting meansare described more in detail later. It is important to notice that theexamples mentioned should be considered solely as illustrative and notas limiting for the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device is detachablymounted on the rib.

The word detachably here holds the same meaning as above.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device is held onto arib of said shotgun by at least one magnet.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the attaching of theadjusting device is carried out by means of magnets. This ensures thatone adjusting device will be able to fit any shotgun regardless of thewidth of the rib of the shotgun. Moreover magnets facilitate an easyattachment to the rib and adjustment of the adjusting device on the ribcan be done simply by sliding the adjusting device along the rib.

In an embodiment of the invention, said adjusting device is held onto arib of said shotgun by squeezing means.

The squeezing means may be a suitable material of which at least a partof the adjusting device is made, i.e. plastic, rubber or metal.

In an embodiment of the invention, said adjusting means comprisesraising means for adjusting the position of said aiming surface of saidadjusting means relative to a rib of said shotgun.

In one embodiment of the adjusting device the adjusting means comprisesraising means, capable of enlarging the effective height of the aimingsurface of the adjusting device above the rib. These raising means maycarry out the height adjustment in any conventional manner such asproviding lifting arms with teeth and turning a knob connected to athreaded pin, producing lifting arms in a soft material such that theycan remain fixed at a certain height or any other way. It is importantto notice that the examples mentioned should be considered solely asillustrative and not as limiting for the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, the adjusting device comprisesraising means comprising a base element and an upper element comprisinglifting arms.

The base element is mounted on the rib and the upper element isdisplaceably mounted on the base element through lifting arms fixed onthe upper element.

In an embodiment of the invention, said adjusting means comprisessliding means allowing said adjusting device to slide along the barrelsof said shotgun.

In another embodiment of the invention the adjusting device is capableof sliding along the barrels while still being mounted on the shotgun.The sliding may as well and in most embodiments happen along the rib ofsaid shotgun. These sliding means may be provided by manufacturing theadjusting device in a material that does not stick to the rib of theshotgun. It is important to notice that the example mentioned should beconsidered solely as illustrative and not as limiting for the scope ofthe invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, said adjusting device comprisesazimuthal means for aiding the shooter reaching an improved azimuthalaiming of said shotgun.

In an embodiment of the invention, the azimuthal means comprises one ormore pins.

In an embodiment of the invention, the azimuthal means comprises onecentre pin positioned perpendicularly to the aiming surface of theadjusting device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the azimuthal means comprises twopins positioned perpendicularly to the aiming surface of the adjustingdevice.

In an embodiment of the invention, the one or more pins are sidewaysadjustable.

In an embodiment of the invention, said azimuthal means comprises anotch in the adjusting device.

Moreover the invention relates to a shotgun comprising an adjustingdevice according to any of the claims 7-29.

A shotgun comprising an adjusting device according to embodiments of theinvention is improved in that an improved precision of shots fired fromthe shotgun may be obtained, either following adjustment of the shotgunby the aid of the adjusting device or by using the retained adjustingdevice as kind of substitute for a rear sight on the shotgun.

With the term shotgun as used herein may be understood shotgun, sportinggun, hunting gun, fowling piece or the like, provided that the gun is atype from which a single shot contains a number of pellets, such as1-900. The shotgun may be any brand and should not be limited to certaintypes of shotguns as the adjusting device such as herein described maybe used on any known kind of shotguns, with a possible variation in thewidth of the adjusting device as the only necessary amendment in orderto suit the varying widths of ribs on different brands of shotguns.

Moreover, the invention relates to a use of an adjusting deviceaccording to any of the claims 7-29 on a shotgun.

Adjustment of the shotgun is carried out through the use of theadjusting device according to embodiments of the invention on a shotgun.

The adjusting device according to embodiments of the invention isdesigned for use with a shotgun, which may either be during the processof adjustment of the shotgun and/or following an adjustment process. Theuse of the adjusting device is especially suitable for pellet-firingweapons which do typically not have a rear sight, and individualadjustment for each shooter is therefore important.

Moreover, the invention relates to a method of adjusting the butt of ashotgun to a specific shooter in order to improve the accuracy of fireby way of an adjusting device according to any of the claims 7-29.

THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now de described more in detail with reference to thedrawings of which

FIGS. 1 a-1 k show different embodiments of an adjusting deviceaccording to the invention,

FIGS. 2 a-2 c show further different embodiments of an adjusting deviceaccording to the invention,

FIG. 3 shows a shotgun according to an embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show examples of distributions of pellets resultingfrom a shot of a shotgun, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show steps in a method of adjusting a shotgun using anadjusting device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Shotguns are especially useful for firing at short ranges and dotypically not comprise adjustable sights as an integral part of the gun,because speed at aiming is of higher importance than precision inaiming. This is the case because a typical situation may be a hunterfaced with a fast-moving target at a distance of around 20 m, or atleast below 35 m. In this situation the spending of time on fixing thesight possibly through both a front and a rear sight would often causethe target to have time to escape.

Hence the majority of shotguns are produced on large scale with standardmeasures with the fitting of sights being limited to typically oncewithin the first year of ownership, when the arms dealer adjusts thebutt of the shotgun according to best estimates, i.e. typically largedeviations are corrected only. In this way a shooter's shotgun typicallywill have a shooting direction deviating at least a little bit from hisaiming direction. However, this deviation may often be small enough thata number of pellets may still hit in proximity of the aiming spot andthe shooter will for most targets not discover that the shooting andaiming direction does not completely correspond to each other.

However, this small difference in aiming and shooting direction may beof crucial importance. For example, if the majority of the pellets arepositioned below the aiming direction for the shotgun, a very preciseaiming may result in a clean kill of an animal, but aiming atfast-moving targets the aiming is often displaced slightly and in theexample here a shot that goes lower than desired may result in a badresult, i.e. wounding of a game is very likely to occur.

In order to avoid wounding, it is therefore extremely important that theshooter is well aware of how the pellets at a target will be distributedaround the aiming direction as well as that he can trust that the aimingdirection and the shooting direction are substantially the same. Astandard desired distribution of pellets in a shot fired from a shotgunis ⅘ of the pellets above the aiming direction and ⅕ of the pelletsbelow the aiming direction. However such a pattern may be adjustedaccording to the desires of the individual shooter, which is of noproblem as long as the shooter is aware of how the pattern looks andaccounts for that when shooting.

As mentioned it is important to ensure improved conformity between anaiming direction and a shooting direction of a shotgun, which is dealtwith through a precise adjustment of the butt of the shotgun suitablefor the individual shooter, whereby the pellet pattern will be moreprecisely distributed and the shooter will hit targets more preciselywhen firing a shotgun and thereby lowering the frequency of wounding ofgame during hunting.

How an improved conformity between the aiming direction and the shootingdirection is obtained will now be described more in detail.

Shotgun sights differ significantly from the sights used on rifles andother firearms. Since a shotgun fires a pattern of pellets rather than asingle slug, speed of aiming and pointing are generally more importantthan precise accuracy. For example, bird hunting, and trap shooting bothdemand aiming at comparatively close, fast-moving targets, as opposed torifle shooting where the target is usually at a longer range and theangular rate of movement is much slower.

Because of these different requirements, the sights used on other typesof long arms are generally unsuitable for shotguns. For example,conventional iron sights for rifles generally have an open or “peep”rear sight on the receiver and a bead at the muzzle end of the barrel,the goal being to achieve very precise adjustment in both elevation andazimuth. However, this arrangement requires comparatively slow anddeliberate aiming, and moreover the sight picture is comparativelysmall, so that these types of sights are generally ill-suited for use onshotguns. Telescopic rifle sights can achieve even greater accuracy, butfor similar reasons they too are unsuitable for use on shotguns (exceptfor deer hunting and other specialized applications where the gun firesa single slug as opposed to a pattern of pellets).

Shotgun sights, by contrast, ordinarily lack a rear sight aperture.Instead, there is usually a rib along the top of the barrel (or betweenthe barrels in the case of a side-by-side), with a small bead beingmounted at the forward end of the rib. This arrangement permitsextremely fast aiming when firing at close, fast moving targets and dueto the closeness of the target, the pattern of pellets ensure that oftenat least some of the pellets will hit the target as long as the aimingis approximately in the right direction and hence often it is not a bigdeal whether the aiming direction and the shooting direction is notexactly the same.

Being satisfied with a precision wherein at least some of the pelletswill hit the target may actually often be the reason why woundingoccurs. If a shot is fired in a slightly different direction as desiredit is obvious that the shot will still hit when the distance is keptlow, which conform with the known method of avoiding wounding, namelylowering the distances from which game may be shot at.

However, by improving the precision of each shot improvements may beseen not only on the low distances but also on the distancestraditionally used for shotguns, i.e. up to 35 m. Thereby clean killsoccur more frequently and wounding of game occurs less frequently.

As mentioned, large deviations between shooting and aiming direction maybe dealt with at the arms dealer at present on the basis of estimations.In order to deal with the small deviations some shooters have beentraining their abilities on making small corrections in their aimingdirection of the shotgun in order to obtain a desired shootingdirection. However in the case of a fast-moving target suddenlyappearing, a very quick reaction from the shooter is required, and thistraining may easily be forgotten and the natural firing position willlead to a shot being fired in a shooting direction governed by an aimingdirection towards the target, which as previously explained may notalways hit as desired.

With an adjusting device and methods of adjustment according toembodiments of the invention, the shooters have achieved an idealpossibility to improve their accuracy of fire for shots from a shotgun.The adjusting device and a method of adjusting the butt of a shotgunaccording to a specific shooter is shown and explained through exampleshere below.

Example 1 Embodiments of the Adjusting Device

Different embodiments of adjusting devices according to embodiments ofthe invention are shown in FIGS. 1 a-1 k and 2 a-2 c. The embodimentsshown should not be interpreted as limiting but only indicative on howadjusting devices according to embodiments of the invention may look.

An embodiment of an adjusting device according to the invention is shownin FIG. 1 a. The adjusting device comprises a horizontal part 11 and twovertical parts 10, the vertical parts 10 arranged in order to griparound the sides of the rib of the shotgun, and the lower surface of thehorizontal part 11 arranged in order to abut the upper surface of therib of the shotgun. The distance between the vertical parts 10 isindicated in FIG. 1 a with the letter d, the adjusting device may insome embodiments be manufactured with this distance d adjusted to fitthe width of the rib of the shotgun.

Another embodiment of an adjusting device according to the invention isshown in FIG. 1 b. The adjusting device comprises a horizontal part 11and two vertical parts 12, the vertical parts 12 being adjusted ascompared to the vertical parts 10 of FIG. 1 a. The indicated slightinclination of the inner sides of the vertical parts 12 is indicatingthat at least the vertical parts 12 of an adjusting device according toan embodiment of the invention may be made in a flexible material,whereby the distance between the two vertical parts 12 may vary andtherefore two identical adjusting devices may be used for shotguns withdifferent width of the ribs.

In another embodiment of the invention, which may be combined with theembodiment above, the horizontal part 11 may be made in a flexiblematerial, such that the horizontal part 11 may be stretched to be usedon different widths of shotguns.

Yet another embodiment of an adjusting device according to the inventionis shown in FIG. 1 c. In this embodiment the adjusting device is splitinto a horizontal base element 13 with vertical parts 14 and an upperelement 15 comprising lifting arms 16. On the base element a knob 17 ismounted through the turning of which the upper element 15 may be raisedor lowered relatively to the base element 13. This embodiment may becarried out in any conventional manner e.g. with the aid of teeth,threaded pins and/or the like. Moreover this embodiment may be carriedout through the use of suitable choice of material to ease the heighthandling adjustment.

Yet a further embodiment of an adjusting device according to theinvention is shown in FIG. 1 d. and the same seen from the side in FIG.1 e. In this embodiment the mounting means is two magnets 18 capable ofattaching the adjusting device on top of the rib of a shotgun. Theadjusting device of this embodiment comprises a replaceable aiming part19, comprising a horizontal part 19 a suitable for acting as an aimingsurface and optionally side parts 19 b suitable for ensuring azimuthallyprecision as described in further details below and holding the stickduring adjustment.

Further embodiments of an adjusting device according to the inventionare shown in FIGS. 1 f-1 k. In these embodiments the mounting means istwo magnets 18 capable of attaching the adjusting device on top of therib of a shotgun, wherein the magnets are placed in a lower element 100comprising a groove 101. Depending on how large vertical and lateraladjustments are necessary for the individual shotgun, a number ofdifferent changeable elements will according to this embodiment be partof a kit in combination with the lower element 100. Different widths andheights of this changeable element are within the scope of theinvention.

Two examples of such changeable elements 102 and 105 are shown in FIGS.1 h and 1 j and the same seen from the side in FIGS. 1 i and 1 k. Thechangeable elements have bottoms 103 and 106 shaped in order to fit thegroove 101 of the lower element 100. Moreover the changeable elementshave a notch 104 and 107, which during the adjustment steps will serveas aiming surface and, upon mounting the stick, as holding means forthis.

A shooter with a very high cheek distance may find a need for a higheraiming part 19 than a shooter with a normal cheek distance. The use of areplaceable aiming part 19 ensures that any shooter, regardless of theindividual cheek distance, will be able to use the adjusting deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 2 a-2 c show embodiments corresponding to the embodiments in FIGS.1 a-1 c, wherein the adjusting device further comprises two pins 20placed essentially vertically on top of the adjusting device. Ifretaining the adjusting device on the shotgun during shooting, thesepins 20 will help the shooter to have a better indication whether hisaiming is azimuthally precise.

In further embodiments, not shown in the figures, the pins 20 may besideways adjustable by any conventional means, whereby any sidewaysdifference between aiming direction and shooting direction may becorrected in the same way as explained herein for the height adjustment.

Example 2 Adjustment of a Shotgun to a Specific Shooter

A method according to an embodiment of the invention of adjusting ashotgun by the aid of an adjusting device according to an embodiment ofthe invention will be described here below with reference to FIGS. 3-6.

In a first step the shooter, for whom the shotgun 30 is to be adjusted,takes the shotgun 30 to his shoulder into his natural firing position bywhich a cheek distance 36 from the aiming eye 35 to the upper side ofthe butt 31 can be measured as indicated in FIG. 3. The definition of acheek distance and how to measure it will be explained more in detaillater. In a natural firing position a shooter will point the barrel 32in the aiming direction by using the front bead 34 and the rib 33 as aidfor aiming.

In a second step the shotgun is positioned and fixed by fixing meansfacilitating that the rib is aligned precisely towards a target spot 40,which is indicated on e.g. a sheet of cardboard 43. The fixing may beany fixing means known in the art, such as a screw clamp or the like.The precise aligning towards the target spot 40 is carried out byholding the eye in complete alignment with the rib 56, i.e. holding theeye precisely low enough to not being able to see the upper surface ofthe rib 56 but being able to see the front bead 51 and make the frontbead 51 align exactly with the target spot 40. The fixed position of theshotgun should be kept throughout the next steps in order to ensure anexact adjustment.

In a third step a shot is fired from the fixed position towards thetarget spot 40 from a distance of approximately 20 m. The number ofpellets will then be readably distributed around the target spot 40 in ashooting pattern 42 as indicated in FIG. 4 a. Obviously the pellets willcreate a shooting pattern 42 consisting of distinct points; however themajority of the pellets will normally lie within an area as indicatedwith 42. The distance of approximately 20 m should not be consideredlimiting for the invention, but may vary within a normal shooting range.

In a fourth step an aiming spot 41 is marked on the sheet. The purposeof the aiming spot 41 is that the shooter can indicate how he would likethe shooting pattern 42 to be distributed around a certain aiming spot41. Therefore, after adjustment of the shotgun 50 using an adjustingdevice 52 according to an embodiment of the invention, a shootingpattern from the adjusted shotgun 50 by an aimed shot towards the aimingspot 41 from the shooter will be distributed in the same way as theshooting pattern 42 is distributed around the aiming spot 41.

Another example of a shooting pattern 45 and corresponding aiming spot44 is indicated in FIG. 4 b. In this situation a need for both a heightand a lateral adjustment of the butt is relevant.

The aiming spot 41 relative to the shooting pattern 42 may obviously beset as desired by the individual shooter. As standard, this aiming spot41 should be placed inside the shooting pattern 42 with approximately ⅕of the shooting pattern area positioned below the aiming spot andapproximately ⅘ of the shooting pattern area positioned above the aimingspot due to an increased tendency of aiming too low rather than too highwhen shooting with a shotgun towards a fast-moving target.

It should be noted that although the distribution of ⅕ below and app. ⅘above the aiming spot is typical, some shooters prefer this distributionto be different, such as having almost the full shooting pattern placedabove the aiming spot, i.e. the aiming spot is marked on or even belowthe bottom border of the shooting pattern 42. Several such adjustmentsof the shooting pattern around the aiming spot are possible depending onhow the individual shooter feels most comfortable when shooting.

In a fifth step the adjusting device is attached on the rib 56 of theshotgun 50. Usually shotguns are equipped with a rib 56 along the top ofthe barrel 57, the width of which varies from brand to brand, howevertypically it is between 5 and 15 mm. The adjusting device 52 may bemanufactured with a certain distance d as seen in FIG. 1 a in order tofit to the specific brand or it may be manufactured with flexible meansas was explained with reference to FIG. 1 b such that a range of ribwidths may be covered with the same adjusting device 52. Further andpreferably the adjusting device is attached with e.g. magnets asexplained with reference to FIGS. 1 d-1 g.

In a sixth step the adjusting device 52 is adjusted by sliding it alongthe rib 56 or by adjusting the height of the adjusting device 52(depending on the specific adjusting device 52 used) until the sighttrack 54 between the aiming surfaces of the adjusting device 52, thefront bead 51 and the aiming spot 41 is aligned as indicated in FIG. 5.

When using the adjusting device as disclosed in FIGS. 1 f-1 k, asuitable changeable element 102 or 105 is selected and mounted on thelower element 100 and then the sliding adjustment is carried out.Obviously the changeable element 102 or 105 may be changed duringadjustment in case another changeable element 102 or 105 turns out tocover the necessary adjustments in vertical and lateral directionsbetter.

A further advantage by using an adjusting device as disclosed in FIGS. 1f-1 k is that the required lateral adjustment of the adjusting devicemay be carried out by adjusting the position of the changeable element102 or 105 in the groove 101; hence the magnets 18 may be maintained inthe center of the rib and thereby maintain their firm grip on the ribeven through a relatively large lateral adjustment.

When performing the method as described, the same distance as in thethird step (e.g. approximately 20 m) should be held between the shotgun50 and the aiming spot 41 in order for the pellets to be distributed andany deviation between shooting direction and aiming direction to beclear. This distance is truncated in FIG. 5 in order to show therelevant parts clearly. Through this sixth step it is obtained that itis clear from the line between the aiming surface of the adjustingdevice 52 and the front bead 51 at which height the specific shootershould keep his aiming eye 53 above the butt 58 in order for the shotgunto hit around the aiming spot 41 as desired in the previous step.

In a seventh step an oblong rigid object 60, such as a stick, is placedalong the aiming surfaces of the front bead 51 and the adjusting device52, the stick 60 extends further above the butt 58 of the shotgunfollowing the line of sight 54 found in last step. Hereby the stickindicates the height 55 above the butt 58, in which the aiming eye 53should be held in order to hit the aiming spot 41 as desired. Thevertical distance 55 between the stick and the butt 58 can then bemeasured and compared to the cheek distance 36 as measured in the firststep. In FIG. 5 the aiming eye 53 is indicated at the height desired inorder to obtain an improved accuracy of fire, from which the height 55is easily read with the use of e.g. the stick 60. With reference number61 is indicated the height of the cheek distance above the butt 58,whereby the difference in the cheek distance 36 between height 61 andthe butt 58 and the desired vertical distance 55 is easily seen.

In an eighth step a string (not shown) is attached to the end of thestick close to the front bead. This string is stretched along the riband butt and kept in the same plane as the stick, whereby the necessarylateral adjustment can be read off.

In a ninth step, the vertical distance 55 is adjusted to match thepreviously measured cheek distance 36. This means that at least theupper surface of the butt 58 of the shotgun 50 is raised or lowereduntil the vertical distance between the line of stick 60 and the butt 58corresponds to the measured cheek distance 36. Likewise any necessarylateral adjustment found in the eighth step is made by laterallyadjusting the butt 58.

A particular advantage in using a stick 60 is that after adjustment ofthe adjusting device 52, the arms dealer is able to see the line ofsight suiting the shotgun to be adjusted, and the arms dealer can thenadjust the butt 58 correspondingly without the need for the shooter tobe present.

The raising or lowering and lateral adjustment of the butt may becarried out by any means capable of doing so. The standard method usedfor the majority of shotguns will be well-known to the person skilled inthe art, i.e. the adjustment of the complete butt relative to thebarrels is carried out by applying hot oil to the relevant part of thebutt whereby it becomes possible to twist the butt sufficiently toadjust the shotgun as desired. Some shotguns, typically the moreexpensive ones, offer the possibility of adjusting the butt in otherways such as by being manufactured with a two-part butt, wherein theupper part of the butt may be adjusted separately relative to the mainpart of the butt. Further such possibilities may be seen within the art.These possibilities are built into the shotguns in order for the shooterby himself trying to make small adjustments in order to obtain a betterprecision in case he has a feeling that a small adjustment is necessary.With the adjusting device according to embodiments of the invention theshooter will know exactly how much the upper part of the butt should beraised and in that way the shooter will partly be able to adjust theshotgun himself without the use of hot oil. Other ways of adjusting atleast the upper part of the butt well-known to the person skilled in theart are within the scope of the invention.

It should be noted that in a further method of adjusting a shotgun byusing an embodiment of an adjusting device according to the invention,it may be relevant in the raising or lowering of the butt to adjust theangling of the upper surface of the butt and not only a single pointwhere the cheek distance is measured.

The steps as set forth in the above example of a method of adjusting ashotgun by the aid of an adjusting device according to embodiments ofthe invention should not be considered as limiting for how theadjustment should be carried out. Some additional steps may be added,some steps may be omitted, and some steps may be reversed.

The method of adjusting a shotgun as just described is veryadvantageous, e.g. in that the majority of steps may be carried outalready at manufacturing of the shotgun. That means that shotgunsadjusted according to embodiments of the invention at manufacturing maybe shipped to arms dealers with a label telling which vertical distance55 identifies this exact shotgun. A simple measuring of an individualshooter's cheek distance at the arms dealer will then tell whether ashotgun fits directly to the individual shooter or exactly how much thebutt should be adjusted.

Moreover an adjusting device according to embodiments of the inventionallows the possibility of the individual shooter with a shotgun to findout exactly how the aiming and shooting of his shotgun corresponds andby himself make an adjustment or bring the information to an arms dealerfor adjustment.

How the cheek distance is defined and measured should be clear from thefollowing.

Standard shotguns have no rear sight opening to look through; henceproper elevation of the barrel is typically sought through the shooterkeeping his aiming eye closely level with the rib, usually with thecheek held against the upper surface of the butt.

Therefore, the upper surface of the butt of the shotgun is what defineshow a shooter will naturally place the shotgun when aiming. Even thoughthis placing of the shotgun of course may be varied, e.g. in order toobtain a better precision as in prior art, there is a clear tendencythat each person as a starting point will place the upper surface of thebutt in the same position on the cheek or maybe chin unless doingotherwise on purpose. Therefore, as contrary to trying to make smallvariations in this position as in prior art to search for betterprecision, it is important to ensure that when a shooter takes hisshotgun into his individual natural position, the shooting directioncorresponds to the aiming direction.

In order to use the adjusting device as described herein, a distancewhich will be specific for the individual shooter is needed. Thisso-called cheek distance is found by measuring the distance from theshooter's eye to the upper surface of the butt of the shotgun, when theshooter holds the shotgun in his natural firing position. A shootersnatural firing position may be defined as the position wherein it feelsnatural and comfortable to hold the shotgun for shooting. Typically thementioned distance is measured perpendicularly to the barrels asindicated in FIG. 3; however other references used may still result inimproved precision and are therefore within the scope of the invention,such as perpendicularly to the butt or the like.

The cheek distance may be different from person to person both due todifferent shapes of face and body and due to different persons'individual ways to hold a shotgun in a natural firing position. Howeverthe important fact is that the cheek distance is a constant for theindividual person and therefore an excellent parameter to use asstarting point for adjusting the shotgun.

In some embodiments of the invention, the adjusting device is providedwith azimuthal means.

In an embodiment of the invention the azimuthal means comprises a singlepin centered on the aiming surface of the adjusting device. In anotherembodiment the azimuthal means comprises a notch in the adjustingdevice. Within the context of this document the terms azimuthal andlateral may both be used to indicate the sideways adjusting and/oraiming of the shotgun.

In an embodiment of the invention, the azimuthal means comprises twopins extending perpendicularly on the adjusting device as seen in FIGS.2 a-2 c.

In another embodiment of the invention the two pins extendingperpendicularly on the adjusting device may be adjustable sidewaysrelative to the adjusting device.

Thereby small corrections sideways may be adjusted in the same way asdescribed for height corrections above, following the same methods asalready described. Obviously this may be performed simultaneously withand as integrated in the method already described for adjusting the buttof a shotgun. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sidewaysadjusting is carried out with an adjusting device as seen in FIGS. 1 f-1k.

However, even with sideways aiming satisfyingly adjusted, a limitationof shotgun sights stems from the comparatively rapid angular movement ofthe target. As has been described above, conventional rib-and-beadsights allow for rapid acquisition of a fast-moving target. However, therapid movement of the target also means that the shooter must “lead” thetarget by aiming along its projected path, and conventional sightsprovide little or nothing in the way of a visual reference by which theshooter can accurately judge the line of flight and thereby determine aproper lead angle.

This problem may be remedied by retaining the adjusting device providedwith azimuthal means on the rib of the shotgun, whereby the pin(s) ornotch may be used as an indicator on how the present azimuthaladjustment of the aiming is.

By having the shotgun adjusted with the help of the adjusting deviceaccording to embodiments of the invention, the aiming eye of the shooterwill naturally be held at the proper elevation relative to the rib andfront bead when using a shotgun without the need of the shooter himselfto correct after placing the shotgun in his natural firing position.

Moreover with the use of the adjusting device according to embodimentsof the invention, a method and apparatus that does not interfere withthe ability of the shooter to rapidly acquire the target and point theshotgun when using rib-and-bead sights has been obtained.

Still further a method of adjusting a shotgun with the help of anadjusting device has been obtained, which is sufficiently reliable andwhich is sufficiently inexpensive to manufacture that it can be madewidely available to shooters.

1. Method of improving adjustment of a butt of a shotgun to a specificshooter in order to improve accuracy of fire comprising the steps of:positioning and fixing the shotgun by fixing means facilitating that therib is aligned precisely towards a target spot, firing a shot from thefixed position resulting in a shooting pattern of pellets around thetarget spot, marking an aiming spot in the shooting pattern, attachingan adjusting device on the rib of the shotgun, and adjusting theadjusting device until a sight track between the aiming surfaces of theadjusting device, a front bead and the aiming spot is aligned in orderto adjust the butt of the shotgun accordingly.
 2. Method according toclaim 1, wherein said method further comprises the step of placing anoblong rigid object along the aiming surfaces of the front bead and theadjusting device, the oblong rigid object extending further above thebutt of the shotgun to indicate a desired height of the aiming eye abovethe butt in order to hit a target as desired, whereby a verticaldistance between the oblong rigid object and the butt can be measuredand compared to a cheek distance.
 3. Method according to claim 1,wherein said method further comprises the step of placing a lateralmarking means along the aiming surface of the front bead and extendingfurther directly above the butt of the shotgun, in order to facilitateeasy and more exact measurement of a lateral distance between the oblongrigid object and the butt of said shotgun.
 4. Method according to claim1, wherein said method further comprises the step of adjusting avertical distance to correspond to the cheek distance by any meanscapable of raising or lowering at least an upper part of the butt. 5.Method according to claims 1-4, wherein said method further comprisesthe step of adjusting a lateral position of at least the upper part ofthe butt on the basis of a measured lateral distance by any meanscapable of adjusting said lateral position.
 6. Method according to claim1, wherein said method further comprises the step of the shooter takingthe shotgun to his shoulder into his natural firing position, upon whicha cheek distance from an aiming eye to an upper side of the butt ismeasured.
 7. Adjusting device for adjustment of a butt of a shotgun to aspecific shooter in order to improve accuracy of fire, said adjustingdevice comprising: mounting means for mounting said adjusting device onsaid shotgun, adjusting means for adjusting a sight track between anaiming surface of said adjusting device and a front bead of saidshotgun, and an oblong rigid object to indicate a sight track duringadjustment of the butt to facilitate an easier adjusting process of thebutt.
 8. Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein said adjustingdevice comprises holding means for holding said oblong rigid object inplace in order to facilitate an easier adjusting process.
 9. Adjustingdevice according to claim 8, wherein said holding means is a notch. 10.Adjusting device according to claim 8, wherein said holding meanscomprises a clamp.
 11. Adjusting device according to any of the claim 7,wherein the oblong rigid object is a stick made in a rigid materialcomprising at least one of plastic, wood and metal.
 12. Adjusting deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the oblong rigid object is a telescopicstick in order to be sufficiently prolonged during use without losingstiffness.
 13. Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein the oblongrigid object has a length of at least a distance from a front bead to afront part of the butt.
 14. Adjusting device according to any of theclaim 7, wherein one end of the oblong rigid object comprises a magnetin order to fix the oblong rigid object to a front end of the rib. 15.Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein one end of the oblongrigid object comprises a string fastening means to facilitate fasteningof a lateral marking means.
 16. Adjusting device according to claim 7,wherein the adjusting device comprises a lower element and a changeableelement comprising a notch.
 17. Adjusting device according to claim 7,wherein the adjusting device is detachably mounted on the shotgun or onthe rib.
 18. Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein theadjusting device is configured to be removed from the shotgun afteradjustment.
 19. Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein saidmounting means comprises means for mounting on a rib of said shotgun.20. (canceled)
 21. Adjusting device according to any of the claim 7,wherein the adjusting device is held onto a rib of said shotgun by atleast one magnet.
 22. Adjusting device according to claim 7, whereinsaid adjusting device is held onto a rib of said shotgun by squeezingmeans.
 23. Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein said adjustingmeans comprises raising means for adjusting a position of said aimingsurface of said adjusting means relative to a rib of said shotgun. 24.Adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting devicecomprises raising means comprising a base element and an upper elementcomprising lifting arms.
 25. Adjusting device according to claim 7,wherein said adjusting means comprises sliding means allowing saidadjusting device to slide along barrels of said shotgun.
 26. Adjustingdevice according to claim 7, wherein said adjusting device comprisesazimuthal means for aiding the shooter reaching an improved azimuthalaiming of said shotgun.
 27. Adjusting device according to claim 26,wherein the azimuthal means comprises one or more pins, or a notch inthe adjusting device.
 28. Adjusting device according to any of the claim27, wherein the one or more pins are sideways adjustable.
 29. (canceled)30. A shotgun comprising an adjusting device according to claim 7.31.-32. (canceled)